Chapter 9: Silent and In Love

Nathan was in the kitchen with Haley, washing a stack of plates. Apparently, Karen's Café was so packed that day. It is fast becoming Tree Hill's favorite hang-out, making Haley busier than ever. Karen has also seen the need to hire more servers so Nathan's offer to help today was really a big help.

"Wow, do you clean this much plates everyday?" Nathan asked as he grabbed another plate from the pile and ran it under the water from the sink.

Haley just laughs, "Something like that, depending on how many customers we had really."

Haley was doing the drying while Nathan was scrubbing the plates under running water. The café has just closed and only the two of them remain inside.

Nathan just washed some more plates. If he were in his house right now, he would have been complaining while doing this kind of kitchen work. Somehow, doing it with Haley changed all that. "It must get pretty boring to just stay here all night," he commented without taking his eyes off the plate he was washing.

Haley laughs at him, "Well, I'm used to it. Besides, Lucas comes over and helps when he can so he keeps me company too. And tonight, you're keeping me company so I don't really get bored."

Nathan just smiles at her, "Are you saying you like having me around?"

Haley playfully raises an eyebrow at him, "Are you getting too damn pleased with yourself, Mr. Scott?"

Nathan plays along and nods his head, "C'mon Ms. James, you're bruising my ego here!"

Haley just punches him playfully and laughs. After awhile, they've both gone silent. Suddenly, Haley speaks up, "I mean it, Nathan. Thank you so much for being here. I appreciate it."

Nathan smiled at her, "Thank you for letting me, Hales."

After awhile, Haley remembered she had to check something in the counter. "Hey, can I just leave you here for a minute? I just remembered I have to do something out front," she told Nathan who was finishing up the last of the plates.

Nathan just glanced up at her from what he was doing, "Sure, I'll just follow you out there in a bit."

Haley nodded and left. When she reached the counter, she took out an inventory record from the cabinet below. She promised Karen she'd give her an inventory list by tomorrow. The kitchen was running low on most of its ingredients and Karen decided to do some shopping the next day. She caught sight of the sound system and decided to turn the radio on. As she did, the song "I Miss You" by Incubus was playing and Haley just hummed along as she did her inventory.

It wasn't long before Nathan emerged from the kitchen. For quite some time, he just stood by the kitchen door, leaning on it with his arms crossed. The sight of a girl by the counter just captivated him. He just stared longingly at her. "I 'gotta have you in my life, I just got to, "he thought to himself as he stared at her from the doorway.

Haley suddenly turned around to check on some more items on her inventory when she noticed Nathan standing by the door. "Hey, how long have you been standing there?" she asked casually as she took a quick look at him and then, looked back down at what she was writing.

"Not that long, actually. What are you doing?" he asked, relieved that she didn't notice anything unusual about him.

Haley just lets out a sigh, "Just an inventory I promised Karen I'd hand to her tomorrow morning."

Nathan nodded, "I see. Need any help? Just tell me what item you're checking on and I'll let you know how much of it is left."

Haley smiled and nodded at him, "That would be great."

Haley and Nathan went through quite a long inventory that night. After some time, they were finally down to their last two. "Whipped cream?" Haley asked as her eyes remained on the paper she was holding.

Nathan found the cans of whipped cream, "You got two here left."

Haley nodded as she recorded, "And eggs?"

Nathan opened the egg carton, "You still have six here."

Haley nodded and recorded again. After setting the paper down on the table, Haley stepped out of the counter and took a seat next to it. She looked up at Nathan and smiled, "Thanks so much, you were a big help tonight."

Nathan smiled at her, "Well, you were a big help this afternoon."

Suddenly, the song "I'll Be" was playing on the radio. Nathan felt there was no other time better than this, "Ms James, would you like to dance with me?" He offered his hand to her the way a prince would in the movies and it made Haley laugh.

She played along with him. She suddenly stood up and curtsied, "I would be delighted, Mr. Scott."

They did a slow-dance inside the café. They didn't notice that it has started to rain outside once again. Although none of them said anything, the way they looked at each others' eyes was enough for them to know that there was something special going on between the two of them that very moment.

The moment the song was over, uneasiness crept between the two of them and they simultaneously pulled away from each other. Nathan just looked down and ran a hand on his hair. Meanwhile, Haley just looked outside and noticed that it was beginning to rain pretty hard. "Hey Nate, maybe we should have a little change of plans for tonight."

Nathan followed her eyes and realized that it was pouring hard outside. He nodded at her, "Yeah, I think we do need a change of plans. What do you have in mind?"

"I was thinking of just going straight to my place. I can cook us something for dinner," Haley suggested with a smile.

Nathan nods in agreement with a smile, "Yeah, that sounds good."